God's Children: How to Identify the Brothers

Scripture Reading 1 John 2:29-3:10

Opening Prayer

Introduction

Exposition 1 (2:29-3:1)

1 John 2:29–3:1 ESV

29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. 1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Vs. 29- If someone “practices righteousness” that person is “born of God”

What does it mean to “practice righteousness”?

What does it mean to be “born of God”?

Vs. 1- Knowing God means being loved as His child but being “unknown” by the world.

This is the “kind of love” that God has for us, that he calls us sons!

Elaborate

The consequence is that we are no longer recognized by the world...

In other words...

I. God’s children can be identified by righteousness (2:29-3:1)

Implications:

Those born of God are not that way because they practice righteousness but rather it is a characteristic of them

Those born of God should rejoice because they are loved as a child

Those born of God must recognize that though they do practice righteousness it does not mean perfection.

Story about seminary class and preaching 1 John

Basically, the assumption here is that God is righteous therefor His children must be as well “like Father, like son”

Exposition 2 (2-3)

1 John 3:2–3 ESV

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

We will be something else...

We will be “like him”

Who?

The Father

The example and the one who returns

Jesus

Resurrection

Purification

II. You really have hope for life (2-3)

Not just hope that leads to nothing but hope that leads to purification

Illustration: Water Filter

Exposition 3 (4-6)

1 John 3:4–6 ESV

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

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III. Sin is truly against God and is not to characterize a believer (4-6)

Exposition 4 (7-10)

1 John 3:7–10 ESV

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Don’t Be Deceived (7)

How you live reveals who you are (8-9)

Of the devil or

Of God

Sin reveals lostness

IV. Who are you born of? (7-10)

Conclusion